Yesterday, we had 36 first-time guests at one of our campuses. We are pumped that these new families walked through the doors of our church.
But now comes the challenging part.
Follow up. How do we follow up with them and get them to return for a second time?
Here are 10 steps you can take to see guests return to your church, get connected, and become faithful attendees.
#1 - Give them a great first impression. This is where it begins. If you want to see guests return, then you have to give them a great first visit.
If they don't have a great first experience, then it will be very hard to see them return. Start by taking a hard look at what you are currently doing to give guests a great first experience.
You need a copy of my new book - Be Our Church Guest. It is full of ideas and insight about how to give guests a great first impression. You can get here.
#2 - Write them a handwritten note. In a day of electronic communication, a handwritten note is golden. Make the note personal by mentioning something unique that you learned about their family. An example would be a family who just moved into your city. In the note, mention you are thankful that they arrived safely in your city.
#3 - Offer them a gift for returning. For kids, you could offer them a children's ministry t-shirt on their second visit.
#4 - Have one of your volunteers call the family and thank them for coming. Often it means more when a volunteer calls instead of a staff member.
#5 - Pray for them. Pray for all of your guests by name and ask God to work in their life.
#6 - If they came with a person or family that is already attending your church, then find out from that family how you can best follow-up with them.
#7 - Drop by their house. Although I don't personally recommend doing this, it does work for some churches. Briefly stop by their house, give them a gift for coming, and briefly ask if they have any questions you can help answer for them.
#8 - Get them connected to other people in your church. Is there someone who lives near them that attends your church? Is there someone who works in the same facility as they do? Get them connected.
#9 - Send them a text message. 95% of text messages get read! Drop them a short text message and thank them for coming. They will read it!
#10 - With their permission, add them to your online newsletter, electronic communication channels Facebook group, etc.
Your turn. What did I miss? What are some other ways you contact and follow up with guests? Share your thoughts and ideas in the comment section below.
